The Warmth of the Sardinian People

Is there a typical Sardinian person? Can we really generalize and say:
people from this place are like this, or like that? Probably not.

Below
are just my experiences of being born and brought up in Sardinia, and
what I learnt while I lived there.

When I look at Sardinians, I certainly observe a difference between
the ones who live in large cities (like Cagliari) and the ones who live
in small towns.

The ‘nuoresi’ tend to be wary of strangers and like to mind
their own business. But if you are introduced to them by another friend,
or if somehow they get to know you, and they like you, then you become
their family.

Their hospitality is unbeatable. My parents once visited some
distant relatives in Fonni, it was meant to be just a day trip. These relatives insisted they should stay over for a few days, and fed
them the most wonderful food: their own cheese, carta da musica bread,
finest olive oil, their own delicious ham, etc.

Over those three days, the head of the family dragged my father
from bar to bar to introduce him to his friends in town, and they would
all compete on buying him a drink.

My mother, who stayed at the house, was treated like a queen:
they served her amaretti and pardulas with coffee at every opportunity,
not to mention the generosity of their meals. She felt like she put on a
few kilos in 3 days! And this was a family of distant relatives.

But this hospitality is common in other towns and villages of
Sardinia too, including my hometown.

When you have a visitor, you must
make them feel special, treat them really well, they have to feel at
home and at the same time totally at ease, without overwhelming them
with too much attention.

Generosity is another common trait in Sardinian people.
We had an orchard and my father spent most of his retiring days there.
When the fruits of the season were ready to be picked, he would prepare a
basket for us and a basket for friends and relatives.

Interestingly, the best looking fruit was given away, and the
not-so-good looking one, even if all the same delicious, was consumed at
home.

When my father gave something, it had to be the best, never
second best. But this wasn’t only my dad; this was common among the
other farmers too.

We were often given freshly picked vegetables, salads
and other fruits we didn’t grow. And they looked so perfect, you
thought they were unreal.
It was an exchange of gifts from the heart.

The kindness of people, especially in most villages and towns, is
touching. When my father passed away, we had a procession of people
coming to pay respects at our house. S

Somehow, at lunchtime or dinnertime, the mourning visitors
would quietly leave, almost as if an internal signal was indicating they
should do so.
We would move to the kitchen and found a delicious meal was waiting for us, lovingly prepared by our close neighbours.

On the day of my father’s funeral, Maria Teresa (next-door
neighbour) had prepared a lovely bowl of Malloreddus alla Salsiccia –
maybe it was the care she put into this, maybe it was the wonderful
taste, but I felt so comforted whilst I was eating that pasta. And I
knew that my dad, rest his soul, would’ve loved it too.

This kindness and warmth, I have struggled to find in the
Sardinian people living in larger cities, especially in Cagliari, the
capital. I guess, like in most big cities, people live in apartment
blocks, they barely know each other, so a sense of community cannot
develop as well as in small towns.

One trait that most Sardinian people have in common is the love
for their land. They adore their sea, their mountains, their countryside
and the traditions in generally.

Sadly there are no jobs in Sardinia,
so many are compelled to leave and go abroad.
I know of many Sardinians, like me, who have left.

It’s
interesting how, nearly all Sardinian people who live away, visit
Sardinia whenever they possibly can and take all their vacations on the
island.

They don’t choose new destinations to travel to. After all,
Sardinia is the perfect holiday place, and if you combine that with the
warmth of your own family, it’s hard to beat it.